10 ways to de-stress

Are you feeling overwhelmed and desperate to get some balance back in your life?

I feel stressed. I notice my resilience is stretched. I am wired. I cannot pause and rest. My mind never stops. I can’t sleep. I snap at everyone.

Well… the good news is that you have already taken your first step to getting your life back to how you know you want it. You have noticed your stress. The first step in any journey is starting from where you are. The simple acceptance of reality.

Rather than tearing your hair out, letting your blood boil, criticising yourself, withdrawing, feeling your shoulders turn into rocks or your stomach churn you might like to try some or all of the following:

1. Say hello to whatever is going on. It sounds kind of crazy putting your attention to your pain but the simple act of acknowledging and saying “hello, tight shoulders and short breath” can actually release the energy they are holding on to. Just let them know you know they are there – in a kind and gentle way. The tension/pain/discomfort you feel is just feedback from your body that something “not so good” is going on for you. Simply say hello, describe what you feel, gently place your hand where you feel the sensations and breath in and out slowly.

Hello racing thoughts and churning belly. I feel you there letting me know I am not in balance. Thank you.

2. Find a ‘Modern Mantra’ that works for you. Mantras work best when you personalize them, understand their meaning and use them regularly. So don’t just pick any mantra. Choose a mantra that feels ‘right’ to you on an intuitive level. When you say it take a deep breath in and out.

“This too shall pass.” “It is what it is”. “Breathing in I feel my feet on the earth. Breathing out I smile.” “Just one thing at a time.” “Will this matter a year from now?”

3. Make the distinction between the sensation and who you are. I am noticing the sensations and thoughts I call stress vs. I am stressed.

4. Smile, look up above the horizon line and breath out a big sigh. Do this at least 3 or 4 times. A smile stimulates a physiological response that lowers stress.

5. Look at your routine and do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking can add to our stress.
For example: Set your email so that it only comes into your inbox once every 30 minutes. Allocate specific time slots to reply to emails – say 3 times a day.

8. Take a break. Can you fit time in for yourself in your day for doing nothing? Yes, literally nothing. Not reading, not listening to a podcast, not chatting. Just a quiet, daydreamy mental-health break.

9. Make a play-date with yourself. What are the things you love doing that rejuvenate you? Bring back some fun, laughter, joy and a sense of being connected to yourself by doing something you love. Revisit something you loved doing as a child…colouring in, making models, writing little stories, running through long grass, swimming in the surf, building sandcastles. Playfulness rejuvenates our brain.

10. See your local hypnotherapist to identify and release any underlying, unconscious beliefs that may be preventing you from letting go of stress and to reset any physiological, emotional or cognitive patterns that keep you in a stress-loop.

“By accessing this subconscious part of the brain, we can bypass all the negative critical thinking and open inward to an awareness of potential and knowledge. Your imagination and creativity are free to explore all kinds of solutions and game plans to situations,” Marty Lerman, PhD. (author of Mindshift)”